How is the annual supervisory fee calculated?

The ECB calculates the annual expenditure of its supervisory tasks to define the total amount of the annual supervisory fees.

Total annual fees

How much does each bank pay?

The annual supervisory fee for each bank consists of a:

• minimum fee component
• variable fee component

Minimum fee component

The minimum fee component is based on a fixed percentage of the total amount of the annual fees for significant and less significant banks.

What determines the variable fee component?

The variable fee component covers the remaining amount of the fee after the deduction of the minimum fee component. This difference also includes the discount granted to small significant banks.

Each bank pays a share of this amount based on its importance and risk profile. This means that larger and riskier banks pay a higher variable fee component.

Estimate your fee

To estimate your annual supervisory fee, you need the following information.

Minimum fee component

To estimate this you need:

• total annual fees for your category (significant or less significant banks)
• number of fee debtors:
  

  Average number of fee debtors as at end-July 2019	Significant banks	Less significant banks
  Fee debtors Note: The number of fee debtors is different to the number of supervised banks.	112	2,440

• average number of fee debtors from previous years:
  

  Average number of fee debtors*	Significant banks	Less significant banks
  as at end-July 2018	115	2,766
  as at end-July 2017	119	2,916
  as at end-July 2016	126	3,077
  as at end-July 2015	117	3,193
  as at end-July 2014	115	3,191
  *Note: The number of fee debtors is different to the number of supervised banks.

Variable fee component

To estimate this you need:

• your own fee factors (total assets and total risk exposure)
• total fee factors: the sum of the total assets and total risk exposure in your category of supervised banks (significant or less significant). These are shown in the table below. Assets of subsidiaries located in non-participating countries and third countries are excluded in the table. Banks should exclude these as a rule for the purposes of calculating their fee factors. Banking groups may decide to include such assets (e.g. if they consider that the burden of calculating the amounts to be excluded would be greater than the expected reduction in the supervisory fee).
  

  Aggregate average fee factor values (EUR billions) reference date 31 December 2018	Significant banks	Less significant banks
  Total assets	19,573	4,415
  Total risk exposure	6,610	2,133

  Fee factor values of previous years

  Aggregate average fee factor values (EUR billions) reference date 31 December 2017	Significant banks	Less significant banks
  Total assets	19,197	4,675
  Total risk exposure	6,382	2,180

  Aggregate average fee factor values (EUR billions) reference date 31 December 2016	Significant banks	Less significant banks
  Total assets	19,781	4,625
  Total risk exposure	6,577	2,141

  Aggregate average fee factor values (EUR billions) reference date 31 December 2015	Significant banks	Less significant banks
  Total assets	20,233	4,469
  Total risk exposure	6,773	2,137

  Aggregate average fee factor values (EUR billions) reference date 31 December 2014	Significant banks	Less significant banks
  Total assets	20,527	4,669
  Total risk exposure	6,811	2,219

• number of fee debtors for which the minimum fee component is halved (this is done for significant banks and significant banking groups with total assets of €10 billion or less – only relevant for significant banks’ calculations); for 2019 the number was 16

Estimate your fee – examples for fee period 2019

Equipped with the above data, you can now estimate your fee using the equations in the examples below.

The above information can only help you to estimate your fee. The ECB calculates your fee based on the fee factors you provide, and the exact amount levied by the ECB is stated in your annual supervisory fee notice.

Furthermore, any fee estimate cannot be exact because the number of supervised banks and, accordingly, the number of fee debtors is continually changing. The average number provided above is therefore purely indicative; it is not linked to the number of existing supervised banks for any specific reference period. In addition, retroactive corrections are made to fees when a bank’s situation changes after the cut-off date for the annual calculation of the supervisory fees (end of July), or when such changes are only validated by the national competent authority after the cut-off date.